My friend Stacey at Stacey Snacks says her mother-in-law read in the NYTimes that Maggie Smith is staying on and that makes us all happy. We are told however that “Somebody will be born, and somebody will die, somebody pretty key in the cast, unfortunately, [is] not going to make it.” Which character are you willing to give up? This article might help you choose after reviewing comments about each member of the upstairs family and their downstairs staff.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Nice White Country Kitchen
It's a sweet white kitchen. I don't care for the purple/lavender accessories but that's just me. via
Friday, April 20, 2012
Waiting for The Wind
My dandelions are in full puff mode. The dark clouds have just rolled in but the sun is peeking through. We should be getting that much-needed rain over the weekend. Have a great one!
Pink Dogwood
I don't have any flowering trees on my property. There are a few in the neighboring parkland that are 'visually' mine. I never even think about them until this time of year. I photographed this beautiful pink dogwood yesterday when I stopped to check one of my listings. There is a white one right beside it. Sorry I didn't photograph it for this beautiful quote below.
"After all, I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Nothing monumental here. Just a nicely tied length of saved rope inside an old garage constructed from salvaged wood. I love this form of recycling. There is no more old-growth lumber and the only way you can get some is to hang around a site where something old is being torn down! Waste not, want not.
Tiny Back Porch
A small back porch is better than no porch at all. Everything old is new again. Architectural firm's website. More views of this cottage by the sea.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Waiting for Easter Brunch
A Nice Story about Getting Chickens
Here is a nice little post about a family in the UK and their 'girls' - they don't want their dog to know they are chickens. Read story here.
A Kitchen Garden in Full Swing
To the left of the sundial.
Here are more pictures from a realtor open house a couple of weeks ago. The one with the dog hair plaque and the chickens. The upstairs master bedroom overlooks this wonderful herb and kitchen garden and the barn with chicken coop and potting shed too. That's where the owners' interests lie. I know they will miss this place when they move and I am also quite sure they will do this again at their next place. That's just the kind of people they are! Change is good and so is downsizing.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Newborn Lamb Sleeping with Boy
March 16, 1940
A newly-born lamb snuggles up to a sleeping boy.
Photo by Williams/Fox Photos/Getty Images -- Goodnight. Sleep Tight! via
Lilacs at My Kitchen Window
It is nice to have fresh flowers in the house and they prompted me to clean up the mess behind the faucet for the photo. This vase was left in one of the cupboards when I bought my cottage in 2001. I adjusted the exposure of this iPhone photo so my dirty windows are overexposed. Wouldn't it be great if we could just take a picture and clean our homes so easily. Sigh.
Horses Passing My Cottage
These two horses and riders clippity clopped past my cottage sometime over the weekend. Now you can also see my front lawn that is still uncut and will stay that way until we have some much-needed rain. The ground is like concrete and is cracking open. I could check my blog to see when we last had rain but I'm almost afraid to look. I did work on some outdoor planters so it doesn't look as if I am completely oblivious to outdoor work. I picked some lilacs at the home of a friend and the house smells wonderful. I did 521 twirls with my hula hoop after dinner last night in case you are interested. For some reason there are no realtor open houses in my town today. Maybe everyone has the blues after paying their taxes. See you later!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Maggie Smith Rumors at Downton Abbey
Say it isn't so. There are whisperings that Maggie Smith has not renewed her contract beyond Season 3's Christmas Special. Hopefully she will reconsider and stay on once she realizes that the series cannot possibly go on without her. via
Top 10 Maggie Moments from Season One
Top Maggie Moments from Season Two
Distracted from Doing Housework
I can so relate to this painting. I am distracted by anything and everything any time I start to organize or clean - especially by my books.
1858 Genève 1915
Library interior with maid reading.
I would be hopeless in this room too! via
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Beautiful Paint Color for A Bedroom
I love this sage green wall color and the wooden ceiling too. And the windows. And the cozy size of the room. via
PS--Tonight after dinner I did 424 continuous spins with my weighted hula hoop. That is a record so far! I want to be able to do 1,000 without stopping. That's my goal right now.
PS--Tonight after dinner I did 424 continuous spins with my weighted hula hoop. That is a record so far! I want to be able to do 1,000 without stopping. That's my goal right now.
Cat and Owl Calligraphy - So Beautiful
Click photo to enlarge and you will see that there is a mouse in the owl's beak. I dearly love this folky antique drawing snd handwriting exercise.
The fragile calligraphy drawing was produced by the schoolteacher, Jacob Labotz, as part of a series of sketches with poems that he gave to students sometime in the 18th century. via BibliOdyssey
The Dutch text reads:
"De kat spreekt tegen den Uijl
Uijl gij doet mijn onregt
de muis is mijn toegelegt
Den uijl spreekt tegen de kat
Kat gij moet weten
het ongegoste broot word't meest gegeten"
I think there is some sort of dialogue going on about who deserves the mouse.
The Dutch text reads:
"De kat spreekt tegen den Uijl
Uijl gij doet mijn onregt
de muis is mijn toegelegt
Den uijl spreekt tegen de kat
Kat gij moet weten
het ongegoste broot word't meest gegeten"
I think there is some sort of dialogue going on about who deserves the mouse.
Cottage Flowers
Have a beautiful Spring Sunday. I love these pink flowers in front of this stunning English home, don't you? via
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Lovely Bedroom
Mill Valley Reovation by Benjamin Dhong Interior Design. I love the walled-in privacy porch off the lovely bedroom with the cool round window. Have a great weekend.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Have a Relaxing Weekend
The nights are still chilly but we are supposed to have a warm weekend. Enjoy lying on your back in front of the heater if you can. via
Thursday, April 12, 2012
This indoor plant nook is too lovely for words. It's pretty enough to be a painting, isn't it? I wonder how many years this geranium has been in this spot? via
My Favorite Split Rail Fence
This is my favorite style of split rail fencing requiring no 'set' posts in the ground. It's sort of a balancing act and is self supporting. Read a real description here. I photographed this one from my car with my iPhone on Tuesday after I left the open house with the chickens.
Spreading Wild Violets
I bought a new lawn mower this year to do the front lawn. It's too tight to get my riding mower in there plus it slings the clippings up against the house and makes a big mess. My old one bit the dust last year and I went one whole season using the old 'reel' mower from the dark ages. I still use it but for big jobs and spring cleanup I prefer a power mulching mower. I got just what I needed at Sears. It has big back wheels and it's RED. Wahoo. I can't wait to fire it up but I'm going to wait a little longer until the violets that have invaded the lawn start to shrivel a little more. They look like miniature orchids up close. These are considered to be a weed by some but I happen to love them and can't bear the thought of chopping their beautiful heads off.
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